Real Wedding – Daphne & Scott, St Kilda VIC

When it came to their perfectly intimate ceremony, Daphne and Scott didn’t realise just how emotional they would feel. Tears flowed, before a falling vase of flowers stole the show and their tears turned into belly laughs.

They kept the day simple and completely about them and their guests relaxed knowing they were witnessing a celebration that embodied Daphne and Scott.

We met over six years ago working as bar tenders at a bar in Mordialloc. I kissed him first of course!

The ‘one’.

We both look after each other, I think we knew after just six months but we were still so young!

The proposal.

We went to celebrate our six year anniversary at Port Phillip winery. He couldn’t wait until after dinner – maybe a little nervous! So pretty much as soon as we dropped our bags he dropped to one knee!

The planning.

We decided to get married five months after we were engaged so it was a very quick planning process! I couldn’t have done it without the help of Judith from Toko Events who was an absolute pleasure to work with!

Style inspiration.

We wanted an intimate ceremony and then a party for the reception. The reception took on a Gatsby style bar feel, very Art Deco.

The dress.

I was so sure that I wanted a long sleeve lace dress…but it just didn’t suit me at all! I went into one dress shop on High St and the employee there told me to try Karen Willis Holmes as I didn’t seem to be a “traditional” bride. Sure enough, I found the dress there, it was just a matter of trying on to see what suited my body type!

Favourite moments.

The whole ceremony. It was so intimate and emotional – Scott got stuck on his vows and the flowers fell over and it just was perfect – it broke the ice we had a laugh and carried on. I just loved it all!

Traditions.

We were very ‘un-traditional’, however, we still kept the tradition of my dad walking me down the aisle, our dads giving a speech and our first dance. We had no groomsmen or bridesmaids, no cake cutting, no seated dinner, no flower toss. It’s beautiful in some weddings but it wasn’t what I would describe as “our style”.

Meaning of marriage.

It’s a day for us to publicly declare our love, to continue sharing our life together and to start a family.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Captain Fantastic cover of Sweet Child of Mine.

Signing: There Will Be Time by Mumford and Sons.

First dance: Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler from the movie The Wedding Singer.

Funny stories (or near disasters).

My mum, who was getting ready for all the family arriving, ended up chopping off the tip of her index finger two days beforehand, needing surgery! She was supposed to be buttoning up my wedding dress so we ended up needing to sub in the sister-in-law to help! Wasn’t a big deal but pretty funny.

Planning surprises.

I didn’t realise how hard the guest list is! You want to invite everybody but then it starts to get out of control! So we had to be a bit ruthless.

Words of wisdom.

Have fun with it, don’t take it too seriously because it’s supposed to be one of the highlights of your life! And no need to stick to tradition, just do what feels right for you.

Last words…

I would recommend getting help from a planner. If not in the lead up, then at least for the day. I didn’t need to think about a thing on the day with the help of Toko Events.

If Elk & Willow’s imagery has caught your eye, see Matt and Jo’s incredible city celebration.

Florist: Flowered Style (Elisa Caughey) – I was having trouble finding a florist that understood my ideas of simplicity. Elisa was amazing!! The bridal bouquet and groom’s pin were little works of art!